Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-16
POPULAR MIsCoNcEPTIoN CONCERN
ING PERILS OF TRAVEL BY RAIL.

In u PkhlLo Uf IhAfEL d I hhAA'
The two recent frightful disasters upon
Eastern railroads have led to considerable
comment upon the precautions taken by
railway managers to assure the safety Of
passengers. Railroad companies transport
at higher rata of speed than any other
carriers; they are therefore put upon their
mettle to make the danger involved as dis
proportionate, in decreasing ratio, to the
speed employed, and the great number of
people carried, as is possible Still, human
foresight cannot prevent accidents, and now
and then great ones. Naturally on the
occurrence of one of these the people look
to the railroad company involved to ex-
plain, and if culpable, hold it to ac-
countability.
A San Francisco contemporary says:
If things 90 on as they have been going
late the chances of Death in railroad travel will
almost equal the average OF safety. In trusting
themselves to train OF cars, it will be like toss
ing a copper whether the passengers Will 1--we to
reach their destination or perish by accident on
the way.
This is raw extravaganza and wild
speculation. The truth is, as statistics
show. and the actuaries of Accident Insur
ance Companies are prepared to demon
strate, there are fewer lives lost, and fewer
injuries to persons, in travel by rail, in
proportion to the number of passengers
and the distance traversed, than in travel
by, or distance achieved, by any other
modes of conveyance. The disproportioR
of fatality and injury to the whole number
is so great, indeed, as to reduce the cost Of
accident policies to the lowest assurance
rate known When the millions Of people
carried, and billions of miles trayersed by
rail cars, are taken into the estimate, 1t
wsll be found that the percentage of acct
dent is lower by rail than by stage coach'
steamer, private conveyance or sailing
craft This must be accepted as conclusive
proof that great care is taken in the bust
ness of passenger carriage that rails and
bridges and superstructures of all sorts
crossed by the lines are made strongly,
and tested thoroughly. Were it not so
the facts of accidents would speedily make
a counter showing.
Moreover, there is vastly more of legis-
lation and supervision concerning the con-
struction of bridges and culverts, road
crossings, rates of speed in populous dis
tricts, precautions to be taken, strength of
cars and method of construction of rail
roads generally, than concerning any other
modes or vehicles of carriage. Take it in
New York and Massachusetts,, for exam
pie, and it will be found that laws and
regulations upon these subjects are of the
most exacting character, and that carriers
by rail are in many respects held to stricter
accountability for accidents than are any
other people in similar vocations. And it
is right that this should be the rule, since
no Others are so intimately related to so
large a number carried.
In New York, says the Railroad Com
mission, inspection and interposition by
the State in all such matters, as to condi-
ton of rails, ties, ballast, brakes, ditching,
couplings, bridges, and general security of
the roads are most beneficial, and have re-
suited in greatly improved conditions; and
it finds such disregard of caution as de-
velops arises from ignorance of physical
conditions rather than from Indifference to
public safety. So complete are precau-
tons in that State-and it is not greatly
in advance of many, and not at all of some
others-that the report for 1885 shows
that during that fiscal year not a single
passenger by rail was killed by causes be-
yond his own control"
When we come to examine Poor's
Manual, we find that in 1885 there were
carried in the State of New York no less
than 4S,S65,392 passengers, with ILL.,
536,570 miles traversed, and not
single passenger was killed by causes be-
yond his own control while the Commits
sioners report shows that out of that vast
number but three were killed, and they by
falling from cars, while by like cause fif-
teen were injured in getting off and on
trains in motion. In AL but 80 out of the
total of SO injured were hurt by causes be-
yond their own control, while 81 met with
accident by their own misconduct or in
caution.
Take it in California for the year 1885,
there were carried by the railways of the
State l,994, 395 passengers, and the pas
senger movement by miles was 349,OS5,556,
yet there can now be recalled as against
those figures no great accident nor such
loss of life or injury ehargeabie to causes
beyond personal control. as to impress
either date or event notably upon Il e
public mind. The truth is, that there is
no device of man more intimately
related to human beings in a way to in
volye risk to life and limb, when travel
ing, with so little actual loss of life or
LUXURY W pcIoOli, d. IdIfOttuc. 4 uc CsiSc Is
clearly stated by the New York Railroad
Commission Railroad managers are more
and more impressed with the fact that
accidents are expensive, cannot be hushed
up, and that expenditure of money neces-
sary to prevent them, is money well spent"
When it happens, as in the great whirl
of events it viii, that several great acct
dents are concurrent in point of time,
many people, like the contemporary whom
we quoted in the outset, rush to the con-
clusion that there is greatly increasing
/ danger in travel by rail, and then we are
told that if things go on in such way the
chances of death viii be greater than of
safety in railroad travelling, meaning that
there is growth of neglect and incaution.
All this is unrehecting chatter. The plain
facts give the denial to such speculations